Services and visa

All consular services and visa support for people resident in Romania and Bulgaria are provided by the Regional Consular Centre South-eastern Europe Bucharest. Information can be found on the websites concerned:

A selection of websites explaining how Switzerland is structured and how it functions, providing you with the information you will need to form an opinion and exercise your political rights from overseas

Services

Contact the responsible Swiss representation or consulate when you want to register or unregister as a resident, when you need a new passport, have moved or wish to apply for citizenship. The entire selection of services offered can be found in the dropdown menu to the right. The contact details of the responsible Swiss representation are shown on the corresponding page.

Swiss citizens who get into difficulties abroad, also can ask for advice and help from the Swiss representative.

The magazine for the Swiss Abroad appears six times a year and provides information about what is happening at home and the activities of Swiss associations abroad. It also answers administrative questions.

FDFA services abroad

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Online desk

With the online desk you have the possibility to access consular services, such as registering in the Swiss Abroad Register, notifications of changes of civil status, changes of address.

Results in Romania

One of the 18 projects was implemented by the end of 2016. Within the seven thematic funds, 16 of the 43 sub-projects were completed by the end of 2016. Both the completed and ongoing projects have resulted in a high number of positive and concrete results.

An overview of the results:

Careers for schools and businesses

The project ’Job Orientation Training in Businesses and Schools‘ combines the school and labour market systems. Taking part in teaching modules geared towards the job market has helped 7,500 pupils and apprentices assess their skills and get to know the real working world. The project has already been carried out in 180 schools and is expected to be extended to other schools throughout Romania.

Research

Thanks to SCIEX fellowships, 88 Romanian doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers are taking part in fixed-term research residencies at Swiss universities. A total of 26 research partnerships have been established as part of the fund for joint Romanian-Swiss research projects. The researchers have published 137 articles in scientific journals, and have presented their findings at over 170 conferences.

Support for SMEs

Many Romanian SMEs lack the collateral needed to qualify for a loan on the credit market. Switzerland is therefore contributing CHF 24.5 million to a loan fund, which enables creditworthy SMEs in six selected sectors access the finance they need to grow. With the fund as collateral, one of Romania's leading commercial banks is offering secured loans of up to CHF 350,000 to help SMEs invest in their business and improve their competitive standing. Over 290 SMEs had obtained a loan by the end of 2017, thereby securing some 3,300 jobs.

Integrating Roma and other minorities

Three projects are focused on improving access to public institutions and services such as education and medical care. These projects have helped more than 4,000 Roma including 1,700 children, who were able to go to preschool and take part in after-school activities.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy

Switzerland is helping to establish the Swiss-developed Energy City label in Romania. With Swiss cooperation, Romania has selected four pilot energy cities: Arad, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca and Suceava. Based on the action plans jointly developed with these cities, Switzerland is supporting a number of infrastructure projects that promote a more sustainable use of energy. Suceava, for example, plans to save energy and reduce costs on street lighting by switching to smart LED lighting. With Swiss support, energy-efficient lighting has now been installed along 151 streets. Also in Suceava, a project to promote electromobility is making good progress. Since 2017, Suceava has more than 28 charging stations and 56 parking spaces for electric vehicles.

Combating corruption and organised crime

The Romanian judicial office has trained around 10,000 judges and prosecutors in the application of new criminal laws. Training manuals to help implement the laws have also been distributed throughout the country.

Prevention and security

Switzerland supports Romania's police reforms. Around 2,500 police officers are taking part in communications and mediation courses that deal with key aspects of community policing. In addition, 240 police officers have taken part in language courses to learn Romani – the language of the Roma community. Three workshops have been set up as part of a project that promotes community service for young offenders as an alternative form of punishment. To date, 850 of these juvenile offenders have taken part in community service.

Swiss-Romanian partnership fund

In Romania, 40 partnership projects promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Swiss and Romanian institutions. A total of 70 Romanian and 43 Swiss institutions are actively involved in these projects. Around 200 specialists have benefited from the exchange of expertise in a wide range of areas such as environmental protection, social welfare and health.